Lara Djonggrang Imperial Cuisine

Lose
yourself in this exquisite imperial cuisine escapade and relive the glorious
era of Majapahit Kingdom.

The menu book

Back
in late January, I had the pleasure of the company of a not-so-ordinary friend
who was visiting Jakarta for holiday. For Star Trek fans, the name Roger Nygard
surely rings a bell. He is a Hollywood Film & Television Director, most
noted for his wildly successful documentaries: Trekkies and Trekkies 2. As a
culinary enthusiast himself, he invited me to join in his food escapade, which
brought us to Lara Djonggrang. (ps: I have posted an article written by Roger several posts ago, to view click here)

Such
a fine choice I must concede, as Lara Djonggrang’s range of Imperial Indonesian
cuisine was inspired by the royal journeys made by King Hayam Wuruk of
Majapahit Kingdom back in the 14th century. And the name of the restaurant itself was inspired by a famous local legend about a princess of the Prambanan
Kingdom, by the same name.

Lara
Djonggrang is part of Tugu Hotels Group and Dapur Babah Restaurants. The former
being the group name for the hotels located in Bali, Lombok, Malang and Blitar,
whereas the latter is the group name for the chain of fine Peranakan
restaurants Jakarta such as Samarra and Shanghai Blue. Just like like Dapur
Babah, Lara Djonggrang is a restaurant and a museum, housing priceless antiques
and artifacts from the Kingdom era in Indonesia. Its prime location in Menteng,
Jakarta makes it a truly precious gem in among culinary enthusiasts from all
over. InsideLara Djonggrang, is the La Bihzad Bar, which operates in the
evening.

The main dining area "China Blue"

The more mysterious feel in the smoking wing

Meticulous
details were visible in each and every corner of the “house”, where there are many
rooms with different themes. For example the China Blue, which is the main
dining area in the building. This room is dominated with blue and red colour,
with statues of Chinese Gods and other oriental accent. Despite being only a
single storey high, one may easily get lost inside, not only because of the
many rooms, but also from being awestruck by the eerily beautiful replication
of old times feel. For those who enjoy dining outdoors, you could request to be
seated near the fish pond or around the bale-bale.

The
cuisine itself is undoubtedly equally intricate like the décor and fit for the
royalties. The royal expeditions made by King Hayam Wuruk and hundreds of
palatial troops were followed by the imperial kitchen staff who meticulously
prepared the meals for the King using what ingredients they could gather from
each location they visited.

Feast
upon Lara Djonggrang’s house specialty (which is also my favourite item of all), the Udang Swarloka as appetizers. The
finely minced shrimp balls with the palm chilli sauce are very exquisite
teasers to start your imperial meal. Another specialty is the Sate Lilit Ikan
Gianyar (Bali), which is minced Balinese fish satay marinated and grilled to
perfection.

Even during the day, you can feel the majestic charm
of the place. And the darkness after sunset only amplifies the mystery waiting
for the patrons to uncover. Be warned that once you set foot here, you’ll be
left wanting more.

This place looks like a sorta sunnier version of Dapur Babah! To be honest I've never been, despite hearing about it from so many people! It should be on our bucket list before leaving Indonesia! Love the creative presentation using shells! I am a beach fiend so love anything beachy!

Here is the list of places I take guests too: http://thediplomaticwife.com/blog/2011/05/03/travel-diaries-✈-my-jakarta-hitlist/